Round 9 Feature Match: Go Easy On Me, Okay?

Steve SadinSaturday, May 12, 2012

Matthias Hunt put up a series of strikingly consistent performances en route to winning the 2011 Rookie of the Year title. But despite his many strong finishes on the Pro Tour, and the Grand Prix circuit, Hunt has yet to earn his first premier event Top 8.

Hunt entered Day Two with a 6-2 record, and seems to be well on his way to yet another money finish. But if he's going to break through to the Top 8, he's going to need to do a lot of winning.

Hunt's opponent this round, Antonino DeRosa, earned his first Grand Prix Top 8 in Atlanta over a decade ago, and then returned to the spotlight by winning Grand Prix Turin just a few weeks ago.

But despite his recent success, and his good finish on Day One, DeRosa was very pessimistic about his chances in this draft.

Antonino De Rosa is not confident in the strength of his deck, which may bode well for 2011 Rookie of the Year Matthias Hunt, who is looking for his first premier event Top 8.

DeRosa: "Take it easy on me, okay? My deck is terrible, but since they're writing about us, I don't want to look too bad."